3D Data Environment Navigation Tool

ABSTRACT

Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing a 3D data environment navigation tool. In accordance with some concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the 3D data environment navigation tool provides a way for a user to manipulate a 3D data environment in which productivity data is rendered. The 3D data environment navigation tool may provide a user interacting with the 3D data environment the ability to manipulate the viewing angle of data rendered in a 3D data environment, thus allowing the user to “tour” or “move around” the data. The 3D data environment navigation tool may be configured to aggregate data at various zoom levels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/856,476, filed Apr. 4, 2013, entitled “3D Data Environment Navigation Tool,”, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/681,851, filed on Aug. 10, 2012, entitled “3D Visualization of Data in Geographical and Temporal Contexts,” both of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

A spreadsheet application, reporting application, or other data presentation application may present data in a format for users to gain insight into the data and the relationships contained therein. Conventional spreadsheet applications present to one or more users data in cells typically organized in a column/row format. A user can input data into one or more cells or have data automatically input into one or more cells from one or more data stores or other sources of data. Additionally, the user can populate additional spreadsheet data cells with data calculated from other spreadsheet data cells. In this manner, the user can interact with data in one, convenient location, i.e. one or more spreadsheets rather than at each data source.

Although providing several benefits, data displayed as numbers or symbols in a spreadsheet environment can be limited when analyzing the data. For example, when analyzing the data, a user may suffer from visual fatigue when viewing only numbers for an extended period of time. Further, a user may suffer from mental fatigue, trying to analyze significant and vast amounts of data presented in numerical format. Thus, a user may want to interact with the data in a format different than conventional spreadsheet applications, such as numbers in a cell.

It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.

SUMMARY

Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing a three-dimensional (“3D”) environment data navigation tool. In accordance with some concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the 3D data environment navigation tool allows a user to manipulate a 3D data environment in which spreadsheet data is rendered. The 3D data environment navigation tool may provide a user interacting with the 3D data environment the ability to manipulate the viewing angle of data rendered in a 3D data environment, thus allowing the user to “tour” the data.

According to one aspect, disclosed herein is an illustrative computer which includes a processor and a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the processor, the computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive selected data to be rendered in a 3D data environment, render the 3D data environment in a first orientation, and render the selected data in the 3D data environment in first view of the selected data. The computer-readable storage medium further has computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive an input to change the first orientation and determine if the first view of the selected data is changed based on the input to change the first orientation. If the first view of the selected data is not changed based on the input to change the first orientation, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to change the first orientation and maintain the first view of the selected data. If the first view of the selected data is changed based on the input to change the first orientation, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to change the first view of the selected data to a second view of the selected data and change the first orientation.

According to an additional aspect, disclosed herein is a method that includes receiving selected data to be rendered in a 3D data environment, rendering the 3D data environment in a first orientation, and rendering the selected data in the 3D data environment in a first view of the selected data. The method further includes receiving an input to change the first orientation and determining if the first view of the selected data is changed based on the input to change the first orientation. If the first view of the selected data is not changed based on the input to change the first orientation, the method includes changing the first orientation and maintaining the first view of the selected data. If the first view of the selected data is changed based on the input to change the first orientation, the method includes changing the first view of the selected data to a second view of the selected data and changing the first orientation.

According to a further aspect, disclosed herein is an illustrative computer-readable storage medium in communication with a processor, the computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive selected data to be rendered in a 3D data environment, render the 3D data environment in a first orientation and render the selected data in the 3D data environment in a first view of the selected data. The computer-executable instructions further include instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive an input to change the first orientation and determine if the first view of the selected data is to be changed based on the input to change the first orientation. If the first view of the selected data is not to be changed based on the input to change the first orientation, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to change the first orientation based on the input to change the first orientation and maintain the first view of the selected data. If the first view of the selected data is to be changed based on the input to change the first orientation, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to change the first view of the selected data to a second view of the selected data and change the first orientation based on the input to change the first orientation.

It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may also be implemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a computer-readable storage medium. These and various other features will be apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and a review of the associated drawings.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended that this Summary be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an illustrative operating environment that may be used to implement various embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a user interface (“UI”) diagram showing spreadsheet data that is selected to be rendered in a 3D data environment, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a UI diagram showing the rendering of the data selected in FIG. 2 in a 3D data environment, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is line diagram showing a navigation pane for navigating data rendered in a 3D data environment, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a line diagram showing an alternative navigation pane for navigating data rendered in a 3D data environment, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a UI diagram showing aspects of rendering data in a 3D data environment, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a UI diagram showing additional aspects of rendering data in a 3D data environment, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a line diagram showing a system for providing a navigation tool, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a line drawing showing another embodiment for providing a navigation tool, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 10A-10H are line drawings showing various aspects of rendered data replacement techniques, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 11A-11B are line drawings illustrating the framing of data in a 3D data environment, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram showing aspects of a method for providing a 3D data environment navigation tool, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 13 illustrates a computer architecture for a device capable of executing the software components presented herein, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a distributed computing environment capable of implementing aspects of the embodiments presented herein, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a computer architecture diagram illustrating a computing device architecture capable of implementing aspects of the embodiments presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to a 3D data environment navigation tool. The 3D data environment navigation tool can be used within an application to provide 3D visualizations of data. The 3D data environment navigation tool may provide a user with the ability to move the orientation of a view along one or more axes of rotation. The 3D data environment navigation tool may also provide the ability to zoom in or zoom out on the view. The 3D data environment navigation tool may further provide support for multiple input modes with which may input commands to change a view of the data rendered in the 3D data environment.

As used herein, “3D” includes the simulation of a space with three dimensions. In some examples, the three dimensions are represented by a spatial coordinate system, such as a 3-dimensional Euclidean space having three directional axes (e.g. X, Y, and Z). As used herein, an “orientation” of an element in a 3D data environment is based on coordinates along the three directional axes. Further, as used herein, a change in the orientation of an element in a 3D data environment can include changing the coordinates of the element along at least one of the three directional axes. Further, as used herein, a “viewing aspect” can include a visual appearance, or view, of the 3D data environment to a user observing the 3D data environment. In some configurations, a user can input various navigation commands and/or interact with various controls to change the orientation of the 3D data environment. The navigation controls can include, but are not limited to, inputs to pan, pitch, roll, yaw, zoom, tilt, and/or rotate the 3D data environment. As used herein, “pitch” includes a change in a viewing aspect by rotation about a lateral axis. As used herein, “roll” includes a change in viewing aspect by rotation about a longitudinal axis. As used herein, “yaw” includes a change in viewing aspect by rotation about a vertical axis.

While the subject matter described herein is presented in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with the execution of an operating system and application programs on a computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that other implementations may be performed in combination with other types of program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.

In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples. Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, aspects of a computing system, computer-readable storage medium, and computer-implemented methodologies for a 3D data environment navigation tool and other aspects will be presented.

Referring now to FIG. 1, aspects of an operating environment 100 for implementing various embodiments presented herein will be described. The operating environment 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a computing device 102 operating on or in communication with the network 118. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 can include a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-portable computer, a netbook computer, or a computing device such as a mobile telephone, a tablet device, a slate device, a portable video game device, or the like. Illustrative architectures for the computing device 102 are illustrated and described herein below with reference to FIGS. 13-15. It should be understood that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to an operating environment connected to a network or any external computing system, as various embodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein can be implemented locally on the computing device 102.

An operating system 101 is executing on the computing device 102. The operating system 101 is an executable program for controlling functions on the computing device 102. The computing device 102 also can execute a productivity application 104. The productivity application 104, in some examples, is used by a user 106 to collect, store, manipulate and analyze data stored in spreadsheet data 112. It should be appreciated that the spreadsheet data 112 is represented as being stored a single data store for purposes of illustration. The spreadsheet data 112 may be stored in one or more data stores accessible to the computing device 102. Although the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any type of data stored in the spreadsheet data 112, in some examples, data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 may be data associated with various conditions, events, workflow processes, business environments, and the like, with which the user 106 may use in the productivity application 104.

In some embodiments, the productivity application 104 may include, but is not limited to, one or more productivity application programs that are part of the MICROSOFT OFFICE family of products from Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. The examples of the application programs can include a member of, but are not limited, MICROSOFT WORD, MICROSOFT EXCEL, MICROSOFT POWERPOINT, MICROSOFT ACCESS, MICROSOFT VISIO, or MICROSOFT OUTLOOK families of application programs. In the described embodiments, the productivity application 104 is illustrated as including the MICROSOFT EXCEL application program. The MICROSOFT EXCEL application program is a spreadsheet application featuring various functionalities including, but not limited to, calculation, graphing tools, data pivot tables, and a macro programming language called VISUAL BASIC for APPLICATIONS. It should be understood that examples provided herein using MICROSOFT EXCEL are illustrative, and should not be construed as limiting in any way.

In addition to accessing data from the spreadsheet data 112, the productivity application 104 may also be configured to access data from other sources. In one example, the user 106 may wish to augment data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 with geographic information. In such an example, the productivity application 104 may be configured to access map data 122. The productivity application 104 may be configured to access the map data 122 at a local storage device associated with the computing system 102 and/or may access the map data 122 via the network 118. The map data 122 may include, among other information, geographic location information, digital renderings of maps, and/or other information. The 3D data visualization component 114 can be configured to integrate the map data 122 into data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 to be rendered by the 3D data visualization component 114.

The operating environment 100 also can include a geocoding component 120. The geocoding component 120 may be a component of the computing device 102 or a separate component accessible to the computing device 102. The geocoding component 120 can be accessed by the productivity application 104 to map or correlate data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 to location data included in or represented by the map data 122. It should be appreciated that the geocoding component 120 is illustrated as a separate component for purposes of illustration only. In some examples, the geocoding component 120 may be part of one or more other components or programs, including, but not limited to, the productivity application 104. The geocoding component 120 and/or the map data 122 may be provided using various data sources, including, but not limited to, the BING mapping services provided by Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. Because additional and/or alternative mapping services are possible and are contemplated, it should be understood that this example is illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

The data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 can be rendered in a 3D data environment by the 3D data visualization component 114. For example, data in the spreadsheet data 112 can be selected and rendered. As discussed briefly above, the user 106 or another entity may request rendering of the data to perform various functions or tasks within the 3D data environment. For example, the user 106 may request rendering of the data for purposes of navigating through the data within the 3D data environment. In another example, the user 106 may request rendering of the data for purposes of creating or recording a “tour.” As used herein, a “tour” can refer to a created or recorded movement, path, and/or collection of scenes within a 3D data environment corresponding to the spreadsheet data 112. The tours can be saved and/or shared to allow other users to view or watch the tour. Thus, a tour or navigation of data or information can include manipulating an orientation of the 3D data environment and/or simulating movement through or around the 3D data environment. Thus, manipulating the orientation of the 3D data environment includes moving or rotating the 3D data environment about various geometric axes.

To manipulate the orientation of the 3D data environment to perform various tasks, the user 106 can access a 3D data environment navigation component 116 provided by the productivity application 104. The 3D data environment navigation component 116 may provide the user 106 with one or more interfaces or can support other input methods. The interfaces can be interacted with to navigate through the 3D data environment rendered by 3D data visualization component 114. The user 106 can view an output of the productivity application 104 using a display or screen. In the illustrated embodiment, the output is shown on a monitor 108 presenting a display, user interface, or other representation (“display”) 110. The display 110 can allow the user 106 to view and/or visually interface with data stored in the spreadsheet data 112. The productivity application 104 can include a 3D data visualization component 114. The 3D visualization component 114 can be configured to allow the user 106 to experience data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 in a 3D data environment. In particular, the user 106 can use the 3D data visualization component 114 to render data included in the spreadsheet data 112 in a 3D data environment. In some embodiments, the 3D visualization component 114 renders data selected by the user 106. As described above, by rendering selected data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 in a 3D data environment, the user 106 may be able to gain additional knowledge and/or share information about the data with other users, for example via tours.

FIG. 2 is a UI diagram showing the selection of spreadsheet data to be rendered in a 3D data environment. It should be appreciated that the disclosure provided below using a spreadsheet application is for purposes of clarity only and does not limit the disclosure to a spreadsheet application, as other applications or programs that allow a user to interact with data from various sources may also be used. Illustrated in FIG. 2 is the display 110 that includes a representation of a portion of data contained in spreadsheet 202. The spreadsheet 202 has columns 204A-G (hereinafter collectively and/or generically referred to as “columns 204”) of data that can be stored in the spreadsheet data 112 of FIG. 1. It should be appreciated that the columns 204 may be populated from data stored in the spreadsheet data 112 or other sources, such as from databases, internet data sources and the like.

In the spreadsheet 202, a column 204F has been populated with zip codes retrieved from the map data 122 using the geocoding component 120. There may be several ways in which the columns 204 or other data contained in the spreadsheet 202 can be populated with data. For example, and not by way of limitation, the user 106 can manually enter in the data. In another example, and not by way of limitation, the data may be automatically populated within the spreadsheet 202 with data obtained from other sources such as, for example, the geocoding component 120, the map data 122, and/or other sources. Additionally, the data within the spreadsheet 202 may be based on other data and therefore need not originate from an external source. For example, the data within the spreadsheet 202 may be the result of one or more arithmetic operations on data in one or more of the columns 204. It should be understood that this embodiment is illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

Data in the spreadsheet 202 can be selected and/or rendered in a 3D data environment. For example, if the user 106 desires to render data within the spreadsheet 202 in a 3D data environment, the user 106 can select one or more of the columns 204 of data within the spreadsheet 202 and/or particular records included in the spreadsheet 202 for rendering by 3D data visualization component 114. Rendering of the data in the spreadsheet 202 is illustrated and described in additional detail below.

FIG. 3 is a UI diagram showing the rendering of the data within the spreadsheet 202 selected in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the data included in the spreadsheet 102 has been selected. For example, the user 106 may select the data in one or more of the columns 204 of data within the spreadsheet 202, and may have requested, commanded, or directed that the 3D data visualization component 114 render the selected data. It should be understood that the illustrated rendering is illustrative and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

The rendering includes a map 300 showing the rendered data. The map 300 is illustrated as being included in the display 110, which can be presented on the monitor 108. The map 300 is illustrated as having multiple data points 302, which can be spread across and/or throughout the map 300 (in this example, a map of the United States). As shown, the data points 302 can include clusters of data points 304A, 304B and 304C (hereinafter collectively and/or generically referred to as “clusters 304”). The clusters 304 can include groups and/or sets of the data points 302. Although the map 300 may provide useful information in a default configuration or a default display format, the user 106 may want to move or modify the orientation of the map 300 rendered in the display 110 for various purposes. Because a 3D data environment, like the map 300, can have several axes of rotation associated with the visualization, the user 106 can manipulate the 3D visualization using a 3D data environment navigation component, such as 3D data environment navigation component 116, to pan, zoom, tilt, and rotate (for example) the map 300.

FIG. 4 is a line diagram showing a navigation pane 400 that may be used in conjunction with the 3D data environment navigation component 116. The navigation pane 400 can be used to manipulate the view of the map 300 shown in FIG. 3. It should be understood that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to the use of any particular type of navigation pane or any configuration of controls available in a navigation pane, such as the navigation pane 400 of FIG. 4. The navigation pane 400 and the following description are illustrated for clarity and descriptive purposes only and do not limit the concepts and technologies disclosed herein in any way.

The navigation pane 400 includes a zoom bar 402 and a navigation panel 404. One or more features provided in the zoom bar 402 can be used to submit an input to zoom in on and/or zoom out of data rendered in the map 300 or other 3D data environments. The zoom bar 402 can include one or more controls that can be manipulated to perform a zoom function. For example, the zoom bar 402 can include a zoom out button 408 that, when selected, causes the display 110 of the map 300 to be zoomed out to show a broader or wider view of the map 300 relative to a view that was rendered before selection of the zoom out button 408. The zoom bar 402 also can include a zoom in button 410 that, when selected, causes the display 110 of the map 300 to be zoomed in to show a more focused or narrower view of the map 300 relative to a view that was rendered before selection of the zoom in button 410. The zoom bar 402 also can include a zoom indicator 406, which can display a level of zoom currently being applied to the map 300, or any other 3D data environment.

The navigation panel 404 also can be used to move or manipulate the orientation of the data rendered in the map 300. The navigation panel 404 can include one or more controls that can be selected to navigate the 3D data environment. For example, the navigation panel 404 can include an up control 414 that, when selected, causes the orientation of the map 300 to move upward along a Y-axis of spatial coordinates 424. The navigation panel 404 also can include a right control 416 that, when selected, causes the orientation of the map 300 to move toward the right along a Z-axis of the spatial coordinates 424. The navigation panel 404 also can include a down control 418 that, when selected, causes the orientation of the map 300 to move downward along the Y-axis of the spatial coordinates 424. The navigation panel 404 also can include a left control 420 that, when selected, causes the orientation of the map 300 to move leftward along the Z-axis of the spatial coordinates 424.

Additional controls may be provided by menu button 422, which when selected, may display one or more additional or alternative navigation or control functions. Further, the navigation panel 404 may be configured to allow the user 106 to manipulate the orientation of the map 300 by rotating the orientation of the map 300 about one or more of the spatial coordinates 424. Thus, the navigation panel 404 can be interacted with to tilt the map 300, to pan from one side to the other of the map 300, to rotate the map 300, and/or to take other actions with respect to the map 300.

Depending on the particular configuration, the navigation panel 400 also may be configured to provide multiple types of inputs and outputs. For example, the navigation panel 404 illustrated in FIG. 5 can be used to select or deselect one or more features within the map 300 for viewing. In one embodiment, if a menu button 422 is selected, the productivity application 104 can modify the display to show the user 106 a feature panel 426. If the feature panel 426 is selected from the menu button 422, the navigation panel 404 can be replaced by the feature panel 426. It should be understood that the feature panel 426 may also augment or be rendered in addition to navigation panel 404, the concepts and technologies disclosed herein of which is not limited to either configuration.

The feature panel 426 can provide a feature list 428 showing various features or illustrations in the 3D data environment that can be selected using one or more selection buttons 430 to select or deselect the features or illustrations from the view. For example, the map 300 may show the properties of various data rendered in the map 300. An input for properties button 432 can be received which instructs the 3D data visualization component 114 to illustrate various properties of one or more data rendered in the map 300. Examples of some features may include, but are not limited to: properties that may be shapes, sizes, or colors of the data; an overlay that may be geographical information (such as a map) associated with the location of the data; and a reset button to reset the view of the 3D data environment back to a previous view. It should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular feature that may be described herein with regards to the feature list 428.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are UI diagrams showing aspects of rendering data in a 3D data environment and navigating data within a 3D data environment. Illustrated in FIG. 6 is a monitor 108 with a 3D data environment 600 rendered in the display 110. The 3D data environment 600 can include a rendering of data selected, for example as described above with reference to FIG. 2, though this is not necessarily the case. In the 3D data environment 600, by way of example, the data selected can include building information, location information, and sales information. In this example, the 3D data environment 600 has been configured so that the data rendered visually as buildings. In the 3D data environment 600, locations of the buildings can correspond to location data of the particular data point associated with building, and the size of the building can correspond to sales data associated with the particular data point. It should be understood that this embodiment is illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

As shown, a store 602, a store 604, a store 606, a store 608, and a store 610 are placed in various locations within the 3D data environment 600. Also shown is that the store 602, the store 604, the store 606, the store 608, and the store 610 are of various sizes, with the store 602 being the largest. In the illustrated embodiment, the store 602 can correspond to data indicating the largest amount of sales. Similarly, the store 604 is shown as the smallest, which can correspond to data indicating the smallest amount of sales.

Although the 3D data environment 600 illustrated in FIG. 6 may provide useful information, a viewer or consumer of the 3D data environment 600, for example the user 106, may manipulate the view of the 3D data environment 600 within the display 110. According to various embodiments, the data navigation panel 612 can be used to manipulate the view of the 3D data environment 600 within display 110. By way of example, the data navigation panel 612 may include a tilt button 614. The tilt button 614 can be used to tilt the 3D data environment 600, resulting in the display 700 of FIG. 7, though this is not necessarily the case.

In FIG. 7, a 3D data environment 700 is shown as an overhead view of the 3D data environment 600 rendered in FIG. 6. As noted above, the 3D data environment 700 shown in FIG. 7 can be shown in response to selection of the tilt button 614 of the data navigation panel 612. Because the 3D data environment 700 can be shown at additional and/or alternative times, it should be understood that this example is illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

In FIG. 7, the store 602, the store 604, the store 606, the store 608, and the store 610 are illustrated as 2D representations (e.g. rectangles) of the data rendered in the 3D data environment 600. In this example, relative locations of the stores with respect to one another may be more easily understood. It should be appreciated that the types of view manipulation (e.g. pan, zoom, and tilt) described above are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein in any way. Further, it should be appreciated that the representation of one or more navigation controls, such as the data navigation panel 612 of FIG. 7, is merely illustrative and is does not limit the concepts and technologies disclosed herein to any particular configuration. Other controls may be used to navigate through data rendered in a 3D data environment.

FIG. 8 is a system diagram showing a system providing a navigation tool. Illustrated in FIG. 8 is the 3D data environment 600 rendered in the display 110 of the monitor 108 of a computer 800. The computer 800 can include a computing device, such as the computing device 102 of FIG. 1, though this is not necessarily the case. The computer 800 can be configured to provide a 3D data environment navigation tool according to various embodiments disclosed herein.

In one configuration, the 3D data environment 600 can be manipulated using one or more input methods, such as a mouse 802 and/or a keyboard 804 of the computer 800. Additionally, the input sources can be configured to be “constrained” or “unconstrained” input sources. Constrained input sources, as used herein, can refer to technologies, control techniques or methods having one or more discrete or linear inputs such as, for example, a click of a mouse button, depressing a key on a keyboard, or the like. An unconstrained input source can refer to technologies, control techniques or methods having one or more non-discrete or non-linear inputs, such as the use of a mouse wheel or tactile input on a touchscreen. It should be understood that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any category of constrained or unconstrained input source, as the concepts and technologies disclosed herein may make use of various combinations of these and/or other input sources in various configurations.

In some configurations, a pointer 806 may be moved to various locations within the 3D data environment 600. A selector button 808 can be pressed to cause, request, and/or trigger various navigational controls. For example, the user 106 may move the pointer 806 to a location 810 and double click the selector button 808. In this example, the computer 800 may be configured to receive the double click selection and zoom in on the 3D data environment 600, in a fashion similar to the use of the zoom bar 402 as described in FIGS. 4 and 5, above.

In another example, the selector button 808 can be selected and held while the mouse 802 is moved along one axis, for example a forward or backward direction, to effectuate a zoom control. In a similar manner, the selector button 808 can be selected and held while the mouse 802 is moved along another axis, for example a leftward or rightward direction, to move the 3D data environment 600 along one or more axes in a manner similar to the use of the data navigation panel 612 as disclosed in FIGS. 6 and 7. Additionally, the data rendered in the 3D data environment 600 can be explored by moving the pointer 806 to one of the data rendered, such as the store 606, and select the store 606 using the selector button 808 of mouse 802. In some configurations, in response to a selection of one or more data points for further exploration, the computer 800 can modify the display 110 to frame, highlight, or center the selected data, as explained by way of example in FIGS. 11A and 11B. In this configuration, the navigation method using the mouse 802 may be termed a highly constrained navigation control.

FIG. 9 is a line drawing showing another embodiment for providing a navigation tool. In this example, touch inputs can be used to cause navigational commands or other input within the 3D data environment 600. For example, the user 106 may touch a location 900 with a right index finger 902 and perform selecting acts similar to the selecting acts described using the selector button 808 of mouse 802. In this example, the user 106 can touch the surface of the monitor 108 in a manner similar to pushing down the selector button 808 of mouse 802.

In another example, the user 106 can place and hold the right index finger 902 on the location 900 and, thereafter while maintaining contact with the surface of monitor 108, move the location 900. In this configuration, by way of example, the user 106 can use a touch input to navigate through the 3D data environment 600 in a manner similar to the use of the data navigation panel 612 as described in FIGS. 6 and 7. In another example, the user 106 can place and hold the right index finger 902 on the location 900 and place and hold a left index finger 904 on a location 906 and, while maintaining contact with the screen, move the left index finger 904 and the right index finger 902 in relation to each other (sometimes referred to as a “pinch gesture”) to effectuate a zoom navigation control, similar to the use of the zoom bar 402 described in FIGS. 4 and 5.

In some configurations, the user 106 may zoom in or zoom out to a level that causes rendered data to become imperceptible or causes a visually confusing view. For example, if the user 106 zooms out on the 3D data environment 600 in FIG. 6 to a certain level, the rendered data, for example the store 602, the store 604, the store 606, the store 608, and the store 610, may become so close in location relative to each other that the rendered data appears as a single point of data or the user 106 cannot readily distinguish between each of the rendered data. In some configurations, to avoid or reduce the effects of data rendered in this way, an annotation, such as a billboard, can be displayed to replace one or more portions of the rendered data.

FIGS. 10A-10H are line drawings showing various aspects of rendered data replacement techniques. FIG. 10A illustrates an illustrative scaling chart 1001 that may be used to determine how rendered data is scaled when zoomed in on or zoomed out from. As used herein, scaling includes the determination of the shapes, sizes and/or placement of various data within a 3D data environment (by way of example) based on a level of zoom applied to a 3D data environment. It should be appreciated that an algorithm or other program representing scaling chart 1001 can be included in the 3D data visualization component 114.

The scaling chart 1001 may be used or applied by the 3D data visualization component 114 to determine how various rendered data appears in a 3D data environment once a zoom in or zoom out navigation input is received from the user 106. The vertical axis is entitled, “Scale”, which represents the scaling applied to the objects (e.g. the 3D representations of selected data) in a 3D data environment. In this example, scaling can refer to the size of an object based on a level of zoom. The horizontal axis, entitled, “Camera Distance From Earth Surface”, is representative of the level of zoom applied to the 3D data environment, with the level entitled, “Sea Level” being 100% zoom (or the closest the 3D data environment can be rendered to a specific location), and the level entitled, “Camera Ceiling” being 0% zoom (or the farthest the 3D data environment can be rendered), with various levels in between. It should be appreciated that titles of the levels of zoom illustrated in FIG. 10A are merely illustrative, as other titles may be used. Further, it should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein is not limited to the particular levels illustrated in FIG. 10A, as one or more levels may be used.

In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 10A, between zoom levels “Sea Level” and “Street Level”, the data rendered in a 3D data environment may not be scaled. When a zoom input, either zoom in or zoom out, is received by the productivity application 104 at zoom levels between “Sea Level” and “Street Level”, the size of the objects can remain the same. When a zoom input, either zoom in or zoom out, is received by the productivity application 104 at zoom levels between “Street Level” and “State Level”, the sizes of the objects can be decreased in an exponential (or curve) fashion. When a zoom input, either zoom in or zoom out, is received by the productivity application 104 at zoom levels between “State Level” and “Country Level”, the sizes of the objects can remain constant from their previous size. When a zoom input, either zoom in or zoom out, is received by the productivity application 104 at zoom levels between “Country Level” and “Camera Ceiling”, the objects can be replaced by a “billboard” or other annotation that replaces a portion of the object with another 3D object, such as text.

FIGS. 10B-C illustrate one configuration in which the sizes of the rendered data are changed by a zoom input, and further illustrate how, at a level of zoom, the rendered data is replaced by another 3D object. As illustrated, a data point 1002 and a data point 1004 are rendered in a 3D data environment 1000. By way of illustration, an 80 percent zoom level is applied to the 3D data environment 1000, resulting in the shapes and sizes of the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 as illustrated. In FIG. 10C, a 30 percent zoom level has been applied to the 3D data environment 1000, resulting in a scaling operation in which the sizes of the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 are smaller when compared to the sizes of the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 illustrated in FIG. 10B. Further, the distance of the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 relative to each other can be smaller when compared to the distance of the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 illustrated in FIG. 10B.

As illustrated in FIG. 10C, it may be difficult, at this zoom level, for a user 106 or other entity to visually differentiate between the data point 1002 and the data point 1004. If a still lower level of zoom is applied, for example, a zoom level between “Country Level” and “Camera Ceiling” as described in FIG. 10A, the 3D representations of the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 may be of such a size and/or location that visually differentiating between the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 in the 3D data environment 1000 may be difficult. Therefore, in some configurations, a billboard 1006 may be substituted for the 3D representations of data point 1002 and data point 1004. The billboard 1006 can be used in place of the 3D representations of data point 1002 and data point 1004. The billboard 1006 can have information in textual form relating to the data point 1002 and/or the data 1004, thus providing the user 106 with some information relating to the data point 1002 and/or the data 1004, while minimizing the impact of a low zoom level.

In some configurations, the user 106 may want data to visually aggregate based on various factors. For example, the user 106 may want data in a specific geographic region relating to one zoom level aggregated at another zoom level. In some implementations, the geographic region is determined by the 3D data visualization component 114 using information about the rendered data. In other implementations, the geographic region is specified by the user 106 or other entity. The aggregation of data may provide various benefits. The rendered data may be aggregated to a degree that relates to the zoom level. For example, when reviewing sales data on a country-wide basis, it may be beneficial aggregate data for a particular state and show the data as aggregated data rather than individual city or county data. This may visually reduce the amount of information presented to the user 106.

In some configurations, the 3D data visualization component 114 may automatically decide a geographic level, such as a city level, state level, country level, and the like, to aggregate data by based off of a zoom level. Further, even if the user 106 does not specify all geographic levels in data, the 3D data visualization component 114 may be configured to determine aggregation geographic levels using various technologies. For example, the 3D data visualization component 114 may use a preexisting defined relationship between geographic entities to determine data not previously provided.

For example, data may have a state/province column, but may only provide data relating to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. The 3D data visualization component 114 may be configured to determine that New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York are in the United States. Thus, the data may be aggregated at a country level even though the data may not include the country. In some configurations, instead of using previously known geographical relationships, the user 106 may define the relationships using known geographic levels. For example, the user 106 may define a relationship of the Pacific North West to include the states of Washington and Oregon. In another example, the user 106 may define a relationship as a sales territory including Morris, Union, and Camden Counties in New Jersey. The 3D data visualization component 114 may use these defined relationships to determine aggregation levels.

In some configurations, the geographic aggregation level may be determined used geometric polygons. The data may have a coordinates including latitude/longitude, associated with it that can be provided either by the user 106 or by using geographic data from a data store such as the map data store 122. If the polygons and coordinates are provided for a county, state, country, etc. the 3D data visualization component 114 may determine which data belong to a particular county, state, country, and the like, and may, thereafter, aggregate the data by using those levels. In some configurations, the user 106 may also provide user-defined polygons with related coordinates. The 3D data visualization component 114 may then determine which data lies in the user-defined polygons to determine the data to aggregate in particular coordinates. These and other aspects are further explained in relation to FIGS. 10E-10 H.

Shown in FIG. 10E is a data aggregation chart 1020. The data aggregation chart 1020 has several zoom regions 1022. Illustrated by way of example are zoom regions “STREET LEVEL,” “CITY LEVEL,” “STATE LEVEL,” and “COUNTRY LEVEL.” Other zoom regions may include, but are not limited to, postal codes and county levels. The zoom regions 1022 can be used to define levels above which data is aggregated and below which data is not aggregated. The zoom bar 1024 is an exemplary mechanism for determining the level of zoom to which data is aggregated. The zoom bar 1024 includes a zoom level indicator 1026 and a relational data aggregation level 1028.

The zoom level indicator 1026 corresponds to a current zoom level of a 3D data environment. The data aggregation level 1028 corresponds to the zoom level below which data is aggregated and above which the data is rendered in the current zoom level. The difference between the data aggregation level 1028 and the zoom level indicator 1026 may be adjusted or may vary depending on various configurations or settings. Further, the difference between the data aggregation level 1028 and the zoom level indicator 1026 may correspond to the difference zoom regions 1022. In one implementation, the zoom level indicator 1026 may set to various levels of zoom greater than the data aggregation level 1028. For example, the zoom level indicator 1026 may indicate a zoom level at one level, whereas the data aggregation level 1028 may be set to cause the aggregation of data one level below the zoom level corresponding to the zoom level indicator 1026. So, in this example, if the user 106 zooms out to the country level of the zoom regions, the data at or below the state level of the zoom regions may be aggregated and displayed in a 3D data environment as aggregated, not separate, data.

FIGS. 10F and 10G further illustrate the data aggregation aspect based on geographic zoom levels. A map 1040 is displayed in a display 1042 are data clusters 1044A-1044E. The data clusters 1044A-1044E may correspond to sales data rendered in the map 1040. The data clusters 1044A-1044E may include sales data for a particular city. As shown in FIG. 10F, the zoom level of the map 1040 may correspond to a city level. The data clusters 1044A-1044E are positioned based on the data associated with that particular location.

The user 106 may want to zoom out from the map 1040 to see more data associated with the data rendered in FIG. 10F. FIG. 10G illustrates the display 1042 displaying a map 1046. The zoom level of the map 1046 is at a country level. Shown are data points 1048A-1048G. The data points 1048A-1048G correspond to the data rendered in FIG. 10F at a country level rather than the state level illustrated in FIG. 10F. The data points 1048A-1048G are aggregated data of the particular states from which the data originates. For example, data point 1048E corresponds to the data clusters 1044A-1044E of FIG. 10F. When zoomed to a country level, the data clusters 1044A-1044E may be aggregated to the data point 1048E.

It should be understood that in some configurations the user 106 may not need to specify or provide data regarding the locations to aggregate. For example, the 3D data visualization component 114 of FIG. 1 may be configured to take street level data and, using data as may be provided from geographic data stores such as the map data 122 of FIG. 1, derive the state, county, or country from the data. In some configurations, the data may have regions already provided, and thus, the 3D data visualization component 114 may not need to determine the various geographic regions.

In some configurations, the user 106 may want to specify the geographic regions to which data is aggregated. Returning to FIG. 10E, the data aggregation chart 1020 corresponds to geographic regions, such as, a street, city, state or country. But, depending on the data, the different geographic regions relating to various states may have different amounts of data associated with the states. For example, data relating to the sale of snow skis may have highly dense clusters around locations known for snow skiing, but, the same data may have large sparse regions not typically associated with snow skiing. Aggregating data in which the states are treated as equal geographic boundaries may cause a loss of information due to the aggregation of the dense clusters while providing little to no useful information in states in which no data is present. Therefore, in some configurations, the user 106 or other entity may delineate specific locations of aggregation rather than using geographic boundaries. An aspect of this is further illustrated in FIG. 10F.

Illustrated in a map 1050 of FIG. 10H are user-defined regions 1052A-1052F. It should be understood that the regions 1052A-1052F may be defined by various technologies. For example, the user 106 may use various inputs to delineate the regions 1052A-1052F. Some of the inputs may include, but are not limited to, graphical regions, regional definitions provided by a data store such as the map data 122, organizational regions provided by a company, activity regions provided by an entity such as the 3D data visualization component 114. An example of activity regions may be regions defined according to the overall activity of the selected data. For example, it may be beneficial to use the selected data to divide a 3D rendering of that data into regions having the same or similar activity, whereby regions of large activity are split into multiple regions to reduce the activity within any one region and regions of sparse activity are collected together into one region to closely proximate the activity of the other regions. It should be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to regions that are user-defined, as other technologies may be used to define the regions 1052A-1052F. For example, the 3D data visualization component 114 may be configured to automatically delineate the regions 1052A-1052F based on various factors such as the data rendered in the map 1050.

The regions 1052A-1052F define the locations in which data is aggregated at a particular zoom level. An example, is region line 1054, which delineates the generally western United States as a single region. Data which may be displayed individually at lower zoom levels, such as a city or street zoom level, may be aggregated in the region 1052A when at a country zoom level. Thus, referring back to the snow ski example provided above, using various embodiments described herein, sparse data areas may be aggregated together to more closely align with the amount of data associated with the dense data areas.

In some configurations, the user 106 may want to analyze the data rendered in a 3D data environment. FIGS. 11A-11B illustrate one configuration in which the productivity application 104 changes a viewing aspect of certain selected data rendered in a 3D data environment based on an input from the user 106. FIG. 11A is a line drawing illustrating the framing of data in a 3D data environment. As used herein, a viewing aspect can refer to changing the appearance, orientation, view, etc. of the data selected to be framed. As illustrated in this configuration, the computing device 102 has rendered data 1100 from a spreadsheet 1102 into a 3D data environment 1104, illustrated in FIG. 11B. While navigating through the 3D data environment 1104, certain data rendered within the 3D data environment 1104 may be the focus of additional analysis. Illustrated in FIG. 11A are data points 1106 within 3D data environment 1104 that have been selected for focus. The 3D data environment 1104 of FIG. 11B is modified so that a viewing aspect of the data points 1106 is changed in the framing area 1108.

It should be understood that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular manner in which the data in the 3D data environment 1104 is framed using framing area 1108, as other methods or technologies may be used. Further, it should be understood that framing as presently disclosed is not limited to an operation originating with the data 1100 within the spreadsheet 1102. For example, the productivity application 104 may receive an input, wherein the input is a selection of certain rendered data in the 3D data environment 1104. In response to the selection, the data selected in the 3D data environment 1104 may be framed in the spreadsheet 1102. Additionally, in some configurations, when the data points 1106 are framed in the framing area 1108, the 3D data environment 1104 may be configured to change the view, for example, by zooming in or zooming out, depending on various user preferences or the configuration of the system.

Turning now to FIG. 12, FIG. 12 is a flow diagram showing aspects of a method 1200 for providing 3D data environment navigation tool within a 3D data environment are illustrated, according to an illustrative embodiment. It should be understood that the operations of the methods disclosed herein are not necessarily presented in any particular order and that performance of some or all of the operations in an alternative order(s) is possible and is contemplated. The operations have been presented in the demonstrated order for ease of description and illustration. Operations may be added, omitted, and/or performed simultaneously, without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

It also should be understood that the illustrated methods can be ended at any time and need not be performed in its entirety. Some or all operations of the methods, and/or substantially equivalent operations, can be performed by execution of computer-readable instructions included on a computer-storage media, as defined herein. The term “computer-readable instructions,” and variants thereof, as used in the description and claims, is used expansively herein to include routines, applications, application modules, program modules, programs, components, data structures, algorithms, and the like. Computer-readable instructions can be implemented on various system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based, programmable consumer electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.

Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as states, operations, structural devices, acts, or modules. These operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof.

The operations of the method 1200 are described herein below as being implemented, at least in part, by the productivity application 104, the 3D data visualization component 114, and the 3D data environment navigation component 116, or combinations thereof. One or more of the operations of the method 1200 may alternatively or additionally be implemented, at least in part, by the similar components in either computing device 102 or a similarly configured server computer.

The method 1200 begins at operation 1202 and proceeds to operation 1204, wherein the computing device 102 detects selected data to be rendered in a 3D data environment. In some embodiments, the data to be rendered can be selected by the user 106 or other entity. The election of the data can be received by the productivity application 104 executing on the computing device 102. Various methods can be used to select the data to be rendered in the 3D data environment. For example, the data can be selected using the keyboard 804, the mouse 802 or the monitor 108, if configured to be a touchscreen capable of receiving tactile inputs. It should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular data selection input method. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the concepts and technologies disclosed herein are not limited to any particular type of selected data. For example, data can selected from the spreadsheet data 112, the map data 122, other sources of data (not shown), or any combination thereof.

From operation 1204, the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1206, wherein the computing device 102 renders the 3D data environment. The 3D data environment can take various forms. In one configuration, the 3D data environment can include a map in which selected data can be geographically rendered. In another configuration, the 3D data environment can include a three dimensional space, wherein one or more of the axes of a three dimensional space represent one or more data types to be rendered in the 3D data environment. For example, the data can include sales data, store opening data, and geographical location data. Thus, in that example, the 3D data environment rendered can use the sales data, store opening data, and geographical location data as the axes in a three dimensional space.

From operation 1206, the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1208, wherein the selected data is rendered in the 3D data environment that was rendered in operation 1206. The rendering of the 3D data environment at operation 1206 and the selected data in the 3D data environment at operation 1208 can be completed in various manners. For example, if the selected data includes geographical or location data, the selected data can be rendered in a map such as the map 300 of FIG. 3. In another example, if the selected data includes relative position and size information, the selected data can be rendered in a 3D data environment such as the 3D data environment 600 in FIGS. 5-9.

From operation 1208, the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1210, wherein the computing device 102 detects an input to change orientation of the 3D data environment. In some configurations, it may be desirable or necessary to change the orientation of the 3D data environment to further explore aspects of the selected data rendered in the 3D data environment. For example, the user 106 may want to take a tour of the selected data rendered in the 3D data environment by changing the orientation (or view) of the selected data. Furthermore, the user 106 can use various methods to change the orientation of the 3D data environment, such as by using the keyboard 804, the mouse 802 or the monitor 108 if configured to be a touchscreen capable of receiving tactile input. The user also can use various navigational controls, such as, the navigation pane 400 of FIG. 4 or the data navigation panel 612 of FIGS. 6-9. Additionally, the user 106 can use tactile input on a touchscreen (e.g. finger, toe, or other devices that provide a physical interface with the touchscreen), as illustrated by way of example in FIG. 9. Because the input to change the orientation of the 3D data environment can be received in additional and/or alternative manners, it should be understood that these examples are illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way. The method 1200 proceeds to operation 1212, where the computing device 102 determines if the view of the selected data is to be changed. In particular, the computing device 102 can determine how the view of the selected data in a 3D data environment is changed based on the input to change the orientation of the 3D data environment at operation 1210.

Although not limited to any particular way in which the view of the selected data rendered in a 3D data environment is changed based on an input to change the orientation of the 3D data environment, some examples include: changing the size of the data based on a zoom out or zoom in operation, as illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 10B and 10C; changing the data from one type of configuration to another type of configuration, illustrated by way of example as changing the data illustrated in FIGS. 10B and 10C to a billboard illustrated in FIG. 10D; and/or change the orientation of the data in a manner similar to the change in orientation of the 3D data environment, as illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 6 and 7.

If it is determined that the view of the selected data rendered in the 3D data environment is not to be changed, the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1214. In operation 1214, the computing device 102 can change the orientation of the 3D data environment, and the method 1200 ends at operation 1220. In this configuration, the view (or orientation) of the selected data rendered in the 3D data environment was not changed even though the orientation of the 3D data environment was changed. An example of this configuration is illustrated in FIG. 10D, wherein the data point 1002 and the data point 1004 was replaced by the billboard 1006 because the zoom level was between “Country Level” and “Camera Ceiling,” as described in FIG. 10A. Between those levels, in some configurations, inputs to change the orientation of the 3D data environment 1000 would not result in a change of the view of the data point 1002 and the data point 1004.

If it is determined that the view of the selected data rendered in the 3D data environment is to be changed, the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1218, wherein the change in the view of the selected data is applied, and the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1220, wherein the orientation of the 3D data environment and the selected data are changed based on the input received at operation 1210. The method thereafter ends at operation 1216.

FIG. 13 illustrates an illustrative computer architecture 1300 for a device capable of executing the software components described herein for providing the concepts and technologies described herein. Thus, the computer architecture 1300 illustrated in FIG. 13 illustrates an architecture for a server computer, mobile phone, a PDA, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, and/or a laptop computer. The computer architecture 1300 may be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components presented herein.

The computer architecture 1300 illustrated in FIG. 13 includes a central processing unit (“CPU”) 1302, a system memory 1304, including a random access memory 1306 (“RAM”) and a read-only memory (“ROM”) 1308, and a system bus 1310 that couples the memory 1304 to the CPU 1302. A basic input/output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer architecture 1300, such as during startup, is stored in the ROM 1308. The computer architecture 1300 further includes a mass storage device 1312 for storing the operating system 101 from FIG. 1 and one or more application programs including, but not limited to, the productivity application 104, the 3D data visualization component 114 and the 3D data environment navigation component 116.

The mass storage device 1312 is connected to the CPU 1302 through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus 1310. The mass storage device 1312 and its associated computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the computer architecture 1300. Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available computer storage media or communication media that can be accessed by the computer architecture 1300.

Communication media includes computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics changed or set in a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

By way of example, and not limitation, computer storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. For example, computer media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer architecture 900. For purposes of the claims, the phrase “computer storage medium,” and variations thereof, does not include waves or signals per se and/or communication media.

According to various embodiments, the computer architecture 1300 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through a network such as the network 118. The computer architecture 1300 may connect to the network 118 through a network interface unit 1316 connected to the bus 1310. It should be appreciated that the network interface unit 1316 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems. The computer architecture 1300 also may include an input/output controller 1318 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices, including a keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus (illustrated by way of example in FIG. 13). Similarly, the input/output controller 1318 may provide output to a display screen, a printer, or other type of output device.

It should be appreciated that the software components described herein may, when loaded into the CPU 1302 and executed, transform the CPU 1302 and the overall computer architecture 1300 from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose computing system customized to facilitate the functionality presented herein. The CPU 1302 may be constructed from any number of transistors or other discrete circuit elements, which may individually or collectively assume any number of states. More specifically, the CPU 1302 may operate as a finite-state machine, in response to executable instructions contained within the software modules disclosed herein. These computer-executable instructions may transform the CPU 1302 by specifying how the CPU 1302 transitions between states, thereby transforming the transistors or other discrete hardware elements constituting the CPU 1302.

Encoding the software modules presented herein also may transform the physical structure of the computer-readable media presented herein. The specific transformation of physical structure may depend on various factors, in different implementations of this description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to, the technology used to implement the computer-readable media, whether the computer-readable media is characterized as primary or secondary storage, and the like. For example, if the computer-readable media is implemented as semiconductor-based memory, the software disclosed herein may be encoded on the computer-readable media by transforming the physical state of the semiconductor memory. For example, the software may transform the state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit elements constituting the semiconductor memory. The software also may transform the physical state of such components in order to store data thereupon.

As another example, the computer-readable media disclosed herein may be implemented using magnetic or optical technology. In such implementations, the software presented herein may transform the physical state of magnetic or optical media, when the software is encoded therein. These transformations may include altering the magnetic characteristics of particular locations within given magnetic media. These transformations also may include altering the physical features or characteristics of particular locations within given optical media, to change the optical characteristics of those locations. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present description, with the foregoing examples provided only to facilitate this description.

In light of the above, it should be appreciated that many types of physical transformations take place in the computer architecture 1300 in order to store and execute the software components presented herein. It also should be appreciated that the computer architecture 1300 may include other types of computing devices, including hand-held computers, embedded computer systems, personal digital assistants, and other types of computing devices known to those skilled in the art. It is also contemplated that the computer architecture 1300 may not include all of the components shown in FIG. 13, may include other components that are not explicitly shown in FIG. 13, or may utilize an architecture completely different than that shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 14 illustrates an illustrative distributed computing environment 1400 capable of executing the software components described herein for searching for providing the concepts and technologies described herein. Thus, the distributed computing environment 1400 illustrated in FIG. 14 can be used to provide the functionality described herein. The distributed computing environment 1400 thus may be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components presented herein.

According to various implementations, the distributed computing environment 1400 includes a computing environment 1402 operating on, in communication with, or as part of the network 118. The network 118 also can include various access networks. One or more client devices 1406A-1406N (hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as “clients 1406”) can communicate with the computing environment 1402 via the network 118 and/or other connections (not illustrated in FIG. 14). In the illustrated embodiment, the clients 1406 include a computing device 1406A such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or other computing device; a slate or tablet computing device (“tablet computing device”) 1406B; a mobile computing device 1406C such as a mobile telephone, a smart phone, or other mobile computing device; a server computer 1406D; and/or other devices 1406N. It should be understood that any number of clients 1406 can communicate with the computing environment 1402. It should be understood that the illustrated clients 1406 and computing architectures illustrated and described herein are illustrative, and should not be construed as being limited in any way.

In the illustrated embodiment, the computing environment 1402 includes application servers 1408, data storage 1410, and one or more network interfaces 1412. According to various implementations, the functionality of the application servers 1408 can be provided by one or more server computers that are executing as part of, or in communication with, the network 1404. The application servers 1408 can host various services, virtual machines, portals, and/or other resources. In the illustrated embodiment, the application servers 1408 host one or more virtual machines 1414 for hosting applications or other functionality. According to various implementations, the virtual machines 1414 host one or more applications and/or software modules for providing the functionality described herein. It should be understood that this embodiment is illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way. The application servers 1408 also host or provide access to one or more Web portals, link pages, Web sites, and/or other information (“Web portals”) 1416.

According to various implementations, the application servers 1408 also include one or more mailbox services 1418 and one or more messaging services 1420. The mailbox services 1418 can include electronic mail (“email”) services. The mailbox services 1418 also can include various personal information management (“PIM”) services including, but not limited to, calendar services, contact management services, collaboration services, and/or other services. The messaging services 1420 can include, but are not limited to, instant messaging services, chat services, forum services, and/or other communication services.

The application servers 1408 also can include one or more social networking services 1422. The social networking services 1422 can include various social networking services including, but not limited to, services for sharing or posting status updates, instant messages, links, photos, videos, and/or other information; services for commenting or displaying interest in articles, products, blogs, or other resources; and/or other services. In some embodiments, the social networking services 1422 are provided by or include the FACEBOOK social networking service, the LINKEDIN professional networking service, the MYSPACE social networking service, the FOURSQUARE geographic networking service, the YAMMER office colleague networking service, and the like. In other embodiments, the social networking services 1422 are provided by other services, sites, and/or providers that may or may not explicitly be known as social networking providers. For example, some web sites allow users to interact with one another via email, chat services, and/or other means during various activities and/or contexts such as reading published articles, commenting on goods or services, publishing, collaboration, gaming, and the like. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to, the WINDOWS LIVE service and the XBOX LIVE service from Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. Other services are possible and are contemplated.

The social networking services 1422 also can include commenting, blogging, and/or microblogging services. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to, the YELP commenting service, the KUDZU review service, the OFFICETALK enterprise microblogging service, the TWITTER messaging service, the GOOGLE BUZZ service, and/or other services. It should be appreciated that the above lists of services are not exhaustive and that numerous additional and/or alternative social networking services 1422 are not mentioned herein for the sake of brevity. As such, the above embodiments are illustrative, and should not be construed as being limited in any way.

As shown in FIG. 14, the application servers 1408 also can host other services, applications, portals, and/or other resources (“other resources”) 1424. The other resources 1424 can include, but are not limited to, the productivity application 104, the 3D data visualization component 114 and/or the 3D data environment navigation component 116. It thus can be appreciated that the computing environment 1402 can provide integration of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein with various mailbox, messaging, social networking, and/or other services or resources.

As mentioned above, the computing environment 1402 can include the data storage 1410. According to various implementations, the functionality of the data storage 1410 is provided by one or more data stores operating on, or in communication with, the network 118. The functionality of the data storage 1410 also can be provided by one or more server computers configured to host data for the computing environment 1402. The data storage 1410 can include, host, or provide one or more real or virtual datastores 1426A-1426N (hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as “datastores 1426”). The datastores 1426 are configured to host data used or created by the application servers 1408 and/or other data. Although not illustrated in FIG. 14, the datastores 1426 also can host or store data stores 224A-224N in data store 224 shown in FIG. 2.

The computing environment 1402 can communicate with, or be accessed by, the network interfaces 1412. The network interfaces 1412 can include various types of network hardware and software for supporting communications between two or more computing devices including, but not limited to, the clients 1406 and the application servers 1408. It should be appreciated that the network interfaces 1412 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and/or computer systems.

It should be understood that the distributed computing environment 1400 described herein can provide any aspects of the software elements described herein with any number of virtual computing resources and/or other distributed computing functionality that can be configured to execute any aspects of the software components disclosed herein. According to various implementations of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the distributed computing environment 1400 provides the software functionality described herein as a service to the clients 1406. It should be understood that the clients 1406 can include real or virtual machines including, but not limited to, server computers, web servers, personal computers, mobile computing devices, smart phones, and/or other devices. As such, various embodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein enable any device configured to access the distributed computing environment 1400 to utilize the functionality described herein.

Turning now to FIG. 15, an illustrative computing device architecture 1500 for a computing device that is capable of executing various software components described herein for navigating data within a 3D data environment. The computing device architecture 1500 is applicable to computing devices that facilitate mobile computing due, in part, to form factor, wireless connectivity, and/or battery-powered operation. In some embodiments, the computing devices include, but are not limited to, mobile telephones, tablet devices, slate devices, portable video game devices, and the like. Moreover, the computing device architecture 1500 is applicable to any of the clients 1406 shown in FIG. 14. Furthermore, aspects of the computing device architecture 1500 may be applicable to traditional desktop computers, portable computers (e.g., laptops, notebooks, ultra-portables, and netbooks), server computers, and other computer systems, such as described herein with reference to FIG. 1. For example, the single touch and multi-touch aspects disclosed herein below may be applied to desktop computers that utilize a touchscreen or some other touch-enabled device, such as a touch-enabled track pad or touch-enabled mouse.

The computing device architecture 1500 illustrated in FIG. 15 includes a processor 1502, memory components 1504, network connectivity components 1506, sensor components 1508, input/output (“I/O”) components 1510, and power components 1512. In the illustrated embodiment, the processor 1502 is in communication with the memory components 1504, the network connectivity components 1506, the sensor components 1508, the I/O components 1510, and the power components 1512. Although no connections are shown between the individuals components illustrated in FIG. 15, the components can interact to carry out device functions. In some embodiments, the components are arranged so as to communicate via one or more busses (not shown).

The processor 1502 includes a central processing unit (“CPU”) configured to process data, execute computer-executable instructions of one or more application programs, and communicate with other components of the computing device architecture 1500 in order to perform various functionality described herein. The processor 1502 may be utilized to execute aspects of the software components presented herein and, particularly, those that utilize, at least in part, a touch-enabled input.

In some embodiments, the processor 1502 includes a graphics processing unit (“GPU”) configured to accelerate operations performed by the CPU, including, but not limited to, operations performed by executing general-purpose scientific and engineering computing applications, as well as graphics-intensive computing applications such as high resolution video (e.g., 720P, 1080P, and greater), video games, three-dimensional (“3D”) modeling applications, and the like. In some embodiments, the processor 1502 is configured to communicate with a discrete GPU (not shown). In any case, the CPU and GPU may be configured in accordance with a co-processing CPU/GPU computing model, wherein the sequential part of an application executes on the CPU and the computationally-intensive part is accelerated by the GPU.

In some embodiments, the processor 1502 is, or is included in, a system-on-chip (“SoC”) along with one or more of the other components described herein below. For example, the SoC may include the processor 1502, a GPU, one or more of the network connectivity components 1506, and one or more of the sensor components 1508. In some embodiments, the processor 1502 is fabricated, in part, utilizing a package-on-package (“PoP”) integrated circuit packaging technique. Moreover, the processor 1502 may be a single core or multi-core processor.

The processor 1502 may be created in accordance with an ARM architecture, available for license from ARM HOLDINGS of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Alternatively, the processor 1502 may be created in accordance with an x86 architecture, such as is available from INTEL CORPORATION of Mountain View, Calif. and others. In some embodiments, the processor 1502 is a SNAPDRAGON SoC, available from QUALCOMM of San Diego, Calif., a TEGRA SoC, available from NVIDIA of Santa Clara, Calif., a HUMMINGBIRD SoC, available from SAMSUNG of Seoul, South Korea, an Open Multimedia Application Platform (“OMAP”) SoC, available from TEXAS INSTRUMENTS of Dallas, Tex., a customized version of any of the above SoCs, or a proprietary SoC.

The memory components 1504 include a random access memory (“RAM”) 1514, a read-only memory (“ROM”) 1516, an integrated storage memory (“integrated storage”) 1518, and a removable storage memory (“removable storage”) 1520. In some embodiments, the RAM 1514 or a portion thereof, the ROM 1516 or a portion thereof, and/or some combination the RAM 1514 and the ROM 1516 is integrated in the processor 1502. In some embodiments, the ROM 1516 is configured to store a firmware, an operating system or a portion thereof (e.g., operating system kernel), and/or a bootloader to load an operating system kernel from the integrated storage 1518 or the removable storage 1520.

The integrated storage 1518 can include a solid-state memory, a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard disk. The integrated storage 1518 may be soldered or otherwise connected to a logic board upon which the processor 1502 and other components described herein also may be connected. As such, the integrated storage 1518 is integrated in the computing device. The integrated storage 1518 is configured to store an operating system or portions thereof, application programs, data, and other software components described herein.

The removable storage 1520 can include a solid-state memory, a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard disk. In some embodiments, the removable storage 1520 is provided in lieu of the integrated storage 1518. In other embodiments, the removable storage 1520 is provided as additional optional storage. In some embodiments, the removable storage 1520 is logically combined with the integrated storage 1518 such that the total available storage is made available and shown to a user as a total combined capacity of the integrated storage 1518 and the removable storage 1520.

The removable storage 1520 is configured to be inserted into a removable storage memory slot (not shown) or other mechanism by which the removable storage 1520 is inserted and secured to facilitate a connection over which the removable storage 1520 can communicate with other components of the computing device, such as the processor 1502. The removable storage 1520 may be embodied in various memory card formats including, but not limited to, PC card, CompactFlash card, memory stick, secure digital (“SD”), miniSD, microSD, universal integrated circuit card (“UICC”) (e.g., a subscriber identity module (“SIM”) or universal SIM (“USIM”)), a proprietary format, or the like.

It can be understood that one or more of the memory components 1504 can store an operating system. According to various embodiments, the operating system includes, but is not limited to, SYMBIAN OS from SYMBIAN LIMITED, WINDOWS MOBILE OS from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., WINDOWS PHONE OS from Microsoft Corporation, WINDOWS from Microsoft Corporation, PALM WEBOS from Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto, Calif., BLACKBERRY OS from Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, IOS from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., and ANDROID OS from Google Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. Other operating systems are contemplated.

The network connectivity components 1506 include a wireless wide area network component (“WWAN component”) 1522, a wireless local area network component (“WLAN component”) 1524, and a wireless personal area network component (“WPAN component”) 1526. The network connectivity components 1506 facilitate communications to and from the network 118, which may be a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN. Although a single network 118 is illustrated, the network connectivity components 1506 may facilitate simultaneous communication with multiple networks. For example, the network connectivity components 1506 may facilitate simultaneous communications with multiple networks via one or more of a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN.

The network 118 may be a WWAN, such as a mobile telecommunications network utilizing one or more mobile telecommunications technologies to provide voice and/or data services to a computing device utilizing the computing device architecture 1500 via the WWAN component 1522. The mobile telecommunications technologies can include, but are not limited to, Global System for Mobile communications (“GSM”), Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) ONE, CDMA2000, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), Long Term Evolution (“LTE”), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (“WiMAX”). Moreover, the network 118 may utilize various channel access methods (which may or may not be used by the aforementioned standards) including, but not limited to, Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”), Frequency Division Multiple Access (“FDMA”), CDMA, wideband CDMA (“W-CDMA”), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (“OFDM”), Space Division Multiple Access (“SDMA”), and the like. Data communications may be provided using General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”), Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (“EDGE”), the High-Speed Packet Access (“HSPA”) protocol family including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (“HSDPA”), Enhanced Uplink (“EUL”) or otherwise termed High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (“HSUPA”), Evolved HSPA (“HSPA+”), LTE, and various other current and future wireless data access standards. The network 118 may be configured to provide voice and/or data communications with any combination of the above technologies. The network 118 may be configured to or adapted to provide voice and/or data communications in accordance with future generation technologies.

In some embodiments, the WWAN component 1522 is configured to provide dual-multi-mode connectivity to the network 118. For example, the WWAN component 1522 may be configured to provide connectivity to the network 118, wherein the network 118 provides service via GSM and UMTS technologies, or via some other combination of technologies. Alternatively, multiple WWAN components 1522 may be utilized to perform such functionality, and/or provide additional functionality to support other non-compatible technologies (i.e., incapable of being supported by a single WWAN component). The WWAN component 1522 may facilitate similar connectivity to multiple networks (e.g., a UMTS network and an LTE network).

The network 118 may be a WLAN operating in accordance with one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (“IEEE”) 802.11 standards, such as IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and/or future 802.11 standard (referred to herein collectively as WI-FI). Draft 802.11 standards are also contemplated. In some embodiments, the WLAN is implemented utilizing one or more wireless WI-FI access points. In some embodiments, one or more of the wireless WI-FI access points are another computing device with connectivity to a WWAN that are functioning as a WI-FI hotspot. The WLAN component 1524 is configured to connect to the network 118 via the WI-FI access points. Such connections may be secured via various encryption technologies including, but not limited, WI-FI Protected Access (“WPA”), WPA2, Wired Equivalent Privacy (“WEP”), and the like.

The network 118 may be a WPAN operating in accordance with Infrared Data Association (“IrDA”), BLUETOOTH, wireless Universal Serial Bus (“USB”), Z-Wave, ZIGBEE, or some other short-range wireless technology. In some embodiments, the WPAN component 1526 is configured to facilitate communications with other devices, such as peripherals, computers, or other computing devices via the WPAN.

The sensor components 1508 include a magnetometer 1528, an ambient light sensor 1530, a proximity sensor 1532, an accelerometer 1534, a gyroscope 1536, and a Global Positioning System sensor (“GPS sensor”) 1538. It is contemplated that other sensors, such as, but not limited to, temperature sensors or shock detection sensors, also may be incorporated in the computing device architecture 1500.

The magnetometer 1528 is configured to measure the strength and direction of a magnetic field. In some embodiments the magnetometer 1528 provides measurements to a compass application program stored within one of the memory components 1504 in order to provide a user with accurate directions in a frame of reference including the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west. Similar measurements may be provided to a navigation application program that includes a compass component. Other uses of measurements obtained by the magnetometer 1528 are contemplated.

The ambient light sensor 1530 is configured to measure ambient light. In some embodiments, the ambient light sensor 1530 provides measurements to an application program stored within one the memory components 1504 in order to automatically adjust the brightness of a display (described below) to compensate for low-light and high-light environments. Other uses of measurements obtained by the ambient light sensor 1530 are contemplated.

The proximity sensor 1532 is configured to detect the presence of an object or thing in proximity to the computing device without direct contact. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor 1532 detects the presence of a user's body (e.g., the user's face) and provides this information to an application program stored within one of the memory components 1504 that utilizes the proximity information to enable or disable some functionality of the computing device. For example, a telephone application program may automatically disable a touchscreen (described below) in response to receiving the proximity information so that the user's face does not inadvertently end a call or enable/disable other functionality within the telephone application program during the call. Other uses of proximity as detected by the proximity sensor 1532 are contemplated.

The accelerometer 1534 is configured to measure proper acceleration. In some embodiments, output from the accelerometer 1534 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to control some functionality of the application program. For example, the application program may be a video game in which a character, a portion thereof, or an object is moved or otherwise manipulated in response to input received via the accelerometer 1534. In some embodiments, output from the accelerometer 1534 is provided to an application program for use in switching between landscape and portrait modes, calculating coordinate acceleration, or detecting a fall. Other uses of the accelerometer 1534 are contemplated.

The gyroscope 1536 is configured to measure and maintain orientation. In some embodiments, output from the gyroscope 1536 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to control some functionality of the application program. For example, the gyroscope 1536 can be used for accurate recognition of movement within a 3D data environment of a video game application or some other application. In some embodiments, an application program utilizes output from the gyroscope 1536 and the accelerometer 1534 to enhance control of some functionality of the application program. Other uses of the gyroscope 1536 are contemplated.

The GPS sensor 1538 is configured to receive signals from GPS satellites for use in calculating a location. The location calculated by the GPS sensor 1538 may be used by any application program that requires or benefits from location information. For example, the location calculated by the GPS sensor 1538 may be used with a navigation application program to provide directions from the location to a destination or directions from the destination to the location. Moreover, the GPS sensor 1538 may be used to provide location information to an external location-based service, such as E911 service. The GPS sensor 1538 may obtain location information generated via WI-FI, WIMAX, and/or cellular triangulation techniques utilizing one or more of the network connectivity components 1506 to aid the GPS sensor 1538 in obtaining a location fix. The GPS sensor 1538 may also be used in Assisted GPS (“A-GPS”) systems.

The I/O components 1510 include a display 1540, a touchscreen 1542, a data I/O interface component (“data I/O”) 1544, an audio I/O interface component (“audio I/O”) 1546, a video I/O interface component (“video I/O”) 1548, and a camera 1550. In some embodiments, the display 1540 and the touchscreen 1542 are combined. In some embodiments two or more of the data I/O component 1544, the audio I/O interface component 1546, and the video I/O component 1548 are combined. The I/O components 1510 may include discrete processors configured to support the various interface described below, or may include processing functionality built-in to the processor 1502.

The display 1540 is an output device configured to present information in a visual form. In particular, the display 1540 may present graphical user interface (“GUI”) elements, text, images, video, notifications, virtual buttons, virtual keyboards, messaging data, Internet content, device status, time, date, calendar data, preferences, map information, location information, and any other information that is capable of being presented in a visual form. In some embodiments, the display 1540 is a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) utilizing any active or passive matrix technology and any backlighting technology (if used). In some embodiments, the display 1540 is an organic light emitting diode (“OLED”) display. Other display types are contemplated.

The touchscreen 1542 is an input device configured to detect the presence and location of a touch. The touchscreen 1542 may be a resistive touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, an optical imaging touchscreen, a dispersive signal touchscreen, an acoustic pulse recognition touchscreen, or may utilize any other touchscreen technology. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 is incorporated on top of the display 1540 as a transparent layer to enable a user to use one or more touches to interact with objects or other information presented on the display 1540. In other embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 is a touch pad incorporated on a surface of the computing device that does not include the display 1540. For example, the computing device may have a touchscreen incorporated on top of the display 1540 and a touch pad on a surface opposite the display 1540.

In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 is a single-touch touchscreen. In other embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 is a multi-touch touchscreen. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 is configured to detect discrete touches, single touch gestures, and/or multi-touch gestures. These are collectively referred to herein as gestures for convenience. Several gestures will now be described. It should be understood that these gestures are illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the described gestures, additional gestures, and/or alternative gestures may be implemented in software for use with the touchscreen 1542. As such, a developer may create gestures that are specific to a particular application program.

In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 supports a tap gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 1542 once on an item presented on the display 1540. The tap gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, opening or launching whatever the user taps. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 supports a double tap gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 1542 twice on an item presented on the display 1540. The double tap gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming in or zooming out in stages. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 supports a tap and hold gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 1542 and maintains contact for at least a pre-defined time. The tap and hold gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, opening a context-specific menu.

In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 supports a pan gesture in which a user places a finger on the touchscreen 1542 and maintains contact with the touchscreen 1542 while moving the finger on the touchscreen 1542. The pan gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, moving through screens, images, or menus at a controlled rate. Multiple finger pan gestures are also contemplated. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 supports a flick gesture in which a user swipes a finger in the direction the user wants the screen to move. The flick gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, scrolling horizontally or vertically through menus or pages. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 1542 supports a pinch and stretch gesture in which a user makes a pinching motion with two fingers (e.g., thumb and forefinger) on the touchscreen 1542 or moves the two fingers apart. The pinch and stretch gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming gradually in or out of a website, map, or picture.

Although the above gestures have been described with reference to the use one or more fingers for performing the gestures, other appendages such as toes or objects such as styluses may be used to interact with the touchscreen 1542. As such, the above gestures should be understood as being illustrative and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

The data I/O interface component 1544 is configured to facilitate input of data to the computing device and output of data from the computing device. In some embodiments, the data I/O interface component 1544 includes a connector configured to provide wired connectivity between the computing device and a computer system, for example, for synchronization operation purposes. The connector may be a proprietary connector or a standardized connector such as USB, micro-USB, mini-USB, or the like. In some embodiments, the connector is a dock connector for docking the computing device with another device such as a docking station, audio device (e.g., a digital music player), or video device.

The audio I/O interface component 1546 is configured to provide audio input and/or output capabilities to the computing device. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1544 includes a microphone configured to collect audio signals. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1544 includes a headphone jack configured to provide connectivity for headphones or other external speakers. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1546 includes a speaker for the output of audio signals. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 1544 includes an optical audio cable out.

The video I/O interface component 1548 is configured to provide video input and/or output capabilities to the computing device. In some embodiments, the video I/O interface component 1548 includes a video connector configured to receive video as input from another device (e.g., a video media player such as a DVD or BLURAY player) or send video as output to another device (e.g., a monitor, a television, or some other external display). In some embodiments, the video I/O interface component 1548 includes a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (“HDMI”), mini-HDMI, micro-HDMI, DisplayPort, or proprietary connector to input/output video content. In some embodiments, the video I/O interface component 1548 or portions thereof is combined with the audio I/O interface component 1546 or portions thereof.

The camera 1550 can be configured to capture still images and/or video. The camera 1550 may utilize a charge coupled device (“CCD”) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (“CMOS”) image sensor to capture images. In some embodiments, the camera 1550 includes a flash to aid in taking pictures in low-light environments. Settings for the camera 1550 may be implemented as hardware or software buttons.

Although not illustrated, one or more hardware buttons may also be included in the computing device architecture 1500. The hardware buttons may be used for controlling some operational aspect of the computing device. The hardware buttons may be dedicated buttons or multi-use buttons. The hardware buttons may be mechanical or sensor-based.

The illustrated power components 1512 include one or more batteries 1552, which can be connected to a battery gauge 1554. The batteries 1552 may be rechargeable or disposable. Rechargeable battery types include, but are not limited to, lithium polymer, lithium ion, nickel cadmium, and nickel metal hydride. Each of the batteries 1552 may be made of one or more cells.

The battery gauge 1554 can be configured to measure battery parameters such as current, voltage, and temperature. In some embodiments, the battery gauge 1554 is configured to measure the effect of a battery's discharge rate, temperature, age and other factors to predict remaining life within a certain percentage of error. In some embodiments, the battery gauge 1554 provides measurements to an application program that is configured to utilize the measurements to present useful power management data to a user. Power management data may include one or more of a percentage of battery used, a percentage of battery remaining, a battery condition, a remaining time, a remaining capacity (e.g., in watt hours), a current draw, and a voltage.

The power components 1512 may also include a power connector, which may be combined with one or more of the aforementioned I/O components 1510. The power components 1512 may interface with an external power system or charging equipment via a power I/O component (not illustrated).

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that concepts and technologies for providing a 3D data environment navigation tool have been disclosed herein. Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to computer structural features, methodological and transformative acts, specific computing machinery, and computer readable media, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specific features, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims. 

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A computer, comprising: a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the processor, the computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereupon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect an input to change a first zoom level to a second zoom level of selected data to be rendered in a 3D data environment in the first zoom level, determine if the selected data is aggregated based on the input to change the first zoom level to the second zoom level by determining if the selected data is below a data aggregation level at the second zoom level, and aggregate the selected data and render the selected data as aggregated data if the selected data is below the data aggregation level at the second zoom level.
 22. The computer of claim 21, wherein the data aggregation level corresponds to a zoom region.
 23. The computer of claim 22, wherein the zoom region comprises a street level, a city level, a state level, a postal code, a county level, and a country level.
 24. The computer of claim 23, wherein data associated with the zoom region is derived from a geographic data store.
 25. The computer of claim 22, wherein the zoom region comprises a user-defined region or a geographic level corresponding to the second zoom level.
 26. The computer of claim 25, wherein the geographic level corresponding to the second zoom level is determined using a pre-existing relationship between the selected data and a geographic entity.
 27. The computer of claim 25, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-executable instructions stored thereupon to render the selected data at the second zoom level if the selected data is above the data aggregation level at the second zoom level.
 28. The computer of claim 21, wherein the input to change the first zoom level to the second zoom level is received by an input detected at a navigation pane, a keyboard, a mouse, or a tactile input at a touchscreen.
 29. A method, comprising: detecting, at a computer, an input to change a first orientation of selected data rendered in a 3D data environment; determining, at the computer, if the first view of the selected data is changed based on the input to change the first orientation; and if the first view of the selected data is not changed based on the input to change the first orientation, changing, at the computer, the first orientation and maintaining the first view of the selected data.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein receiving the input to change the first orientation comprises receiving the input from a constrained input source.
 31. The method of claim 29, further comprising changing, at the computer, the first view of the selected data to a second view of the selected data and changing the first orientation if the first view of the selected data is changed based on the input to change the first orientation.
 32. The method of claim 29, wherein receiving the input to change the first orientation comprises receiving the input from an unconstrained input source.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the unconstrained input source comprises a mouse wheel or a tactile input on a touchscreen.
 34. The method of claim 29, wherein the input to change the first orientation comprises a zoom in input, a zoom out input, a rotate input, a pitch input, a yaw input, a pan input, or a tilt input.
 35. The method of claim 29, further comprising receiving a framing input to frame at least a portion of the selected data rendered in the 3D data environment, wherein the framing input comprises an input at a spreadsheet application or an input at the 3D data environment.
 36. The method of claim 35, further comprising changing a viewing aspect of the at least a portion of the selected data rendered in the 3D data environment to be framed.
 37. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: detect an input to change a first orientation of selected data rendered in a 3D data environment; determine if the first view of the selected data is to be changed based on the input to change the first orientation; and if the first view of the selected data is not to be changed based on the input to change the first orientation, change the first orientation based on the input to change the first orientation and maintain the first view of the selected data.
 38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the input to change the first orientation comprises a zoom in input, a zoom out input, a rotate input, a pitch input, a yaw input, a pan input, or a tilt input.
 39. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, having further instructions stored thereon to change the first view of the selected data to a second view of the selected data and change the first orientation based on the input to change the first orientation if the first view of the selected data is changed based on the input to change the first orientation.
 40. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the second view of the selected data comprises a billboard comprising a representation of at least a portion of the selected data. 